I thought they did well. They got a corner in round one that has perhaps the most upside of any of the top guys in Rogers-Cromartie; this should help facilitate their wanting to move Rolle to safety. Calias Campbell gives them depth on the defensive line, and his size gives them the versatility to play their 3-4 hybrid with him as a down lineman. Doucet, I question his upside, but I think he works well as a slot guy behind Fitz and Boldin (assuming they keep Boldin). Iwebema again gives them more D-line depth. Hightower is interesting in that the Cardinals probably want to find Edge's eventual replacement but I doubt they did it here. Last two picks continue to add depth, solid draft for Arizona.

Not overly impressed here. The ***** twice had a chance to get Quentin Groves, a potential 3-4 OLB that would have helped their pass rush, but passed both times. I'm not a Balmer fan, and they just gave both Justin Smith and Isaac Sopoaga long contracts to play DE. Maybe Balmer breaks out as a nose tackle, but he might be too tall. Rachal could compete immediately to start on the line if Larry Allen isn't considered a starter anymore, but again, I would have gone Groves here. The starting line-up for the *****' secondary is probably set, but Smith at that point is good value and could be a nickel guy or try his luck at safety. Wondering if Crable or Avril would have been better picks here after the ***** passed on Groves. They spend another pick adding depth to the line, and took a flier on Morgan who has a good combination of size and speed. Larry Grant may have a chance to win a job inside in their 3-4.

This one breaks my heart if only because of the fifth rounder but I'll get to that later. It sounds as if Lawrence Jackson will compete at RDE with Darryl Tapp but will move inside on passing downs. Not sure I spend a first round pick on a guy I don't see as a three-down player though. Carlson I thought dropped a bit after a forgettable combine but there was some late buzz that some teams felt as if he was still the top tight end as he was most NFL ready. The Seahawks really don't have much at the position, so he should get the chance to contribute immediately. Bryant I liked in the fourth and gives them a big run stuffer; they could use more talent at DT. The fifth round killed me. As a soon-to-be WVU alum, I would have loved to see Owen Schmitt on the Rams lead blocking for Steven Jackson. Instead we play him twice a year as a Seahawk. Ugh, it's going to be hard to root against him. Taking a long snapper in the sixth round was kind of strange, but that's a thankless position where you'd better have a dependable guy. I don't see Forsett making the team with Jones, Duckett, and Morris ahead of him, but Coutu should have every opportunity to compete for Josh Brown's old job.

I think Arizona's draft impressed me the most, followed by Seattle, and then San Fran coming in last.

Re: Examining the Rest of the West

I think Arizona's draft has a lot of potential but is largely unproven. Rodgers-Cromartie wasn't much more than a sleeper pick at season's end, and Calais Campbell is a long term project. I think Doucet will do a fine job in the slot, but even he never really had huge production in college. None of them are what I'd call safe picks.

I'm not a fan of the *****' draft at all. Balmer isn't going to anchor their front line, and that's what you really need out of a 3-4 nose tackle. Rachel might be a good guard, but I, too, wonder if they shouldn't have taken an outside linebacker in there somewhere. Waiting until the sixth round for a receiver seems like a mistake, and at this point should they be considering someone to push Alex Smith at quarterback? When SF took Balmer, one of the ESPN analysts said (referring to their offense), "If there were 50 teams in the league, they'd be 50th". They were last in the league in quite a few statistical categories. I don't think picking up a couple guards is going to do enough to fix that. In fact, I really don't see this draft making them much more competitive in any way.

Seattle's draft gets mixed reviews. The Lawrence Jackson pick doesn't really impress me, and it makes me happy to see them spend a second rounder on a tight end even if it is a need for them. On the other hand, I would have liked to see us land Red Bryant or Owen Schmitt.

Re: Examining the Rest of the West

I'd take our draft over any of them. The Seahawks did well, and Cromartie should help the Cards, but other than that I'm not impressed.

I won't pretend to be objective, but we had the best draft in the division.

"Before the gates of excellence the high gods have placed sweat; long is the road thereto and rough and steep at first; but when the heights are reached, then there is ease, though grievously hard in the winning." --- Hesiod

Re: Examining the Rest of the West

I can't say I was too impressed with our draft this year, either. I found the Balmer pick somewhat curious. We've needed a NT for quite some time but he just doesn't look like a nose tackle. He seems too tall and lean. However, in all the clips I saw of him, he was usually taking on a double team and at the moment he's at 311 with a chance to get bigger, so it may work out. At the moment, though, he's 2nd string LDE, so I really don't get it.

I'm miffed we passed on Groves. Our best pass rusher is Rod Green, a guy our FO has cut twice in the last two years. The lack of a pass rush has been hurting us for some time. I don't understand why our FO would shell out a ton of money for the secondary and then not get them any help. They've esentally put their pass rushing eggs in the basket of the players already on the roster.

With all that said, we've supposedly had "great" drafts the last few years with little to show for it. Maybe what we need is a boring draft.

Re: Examining the Rest of the West

BD, that one surprised me too. I thought Groves would be the perfect fit for you guys. Is Lawson fully recovered from his injury (I admit I haven't kept up on that situation)?

"Before the gates of excellence the high gods have placed sweat; long is the road thereto and rough and steep at first; but when the heights are reached, then there is ease, though grievously hard in the winning." --- Hesiod

Re: Examining the Rest of the West

Originally Posted by Brain Daddy

I'm miffed we passed on Groves. Our best pass rusher is Rod Green, a guy our FO has cut twice in the last two years. The lack of a pass rush has been hurting us for some time. I don't understand why our FO would shell out a ton of money for the secondary and then not get them any help. They've esentally put their pass rushing eggs in the basket of the players already on the roster.

With all that said, we've supposedly had "great" drafts the last few years with little to show for it. Maybe what we need is a boring draft.

So what's the worry? Ya'll still have Tully Banta Cain...Bwahahaha. Sorry I couldn't resist; but seriously though, Chilo Rachal has all the look of a long-term starter at OG for ya'll and with Larry Allen last seen filling out his SS paperwork he is going to play sooner rather than later. Having said all that I also was prety high in Groves myself and can see where you are coming from.

Re: Examining the Rest of the West

Lawson is supposedly at 100% but was held out of minicamp. He's a good player with a bright future, but in the short time he's played, he established himself more as a coverage LB. His ability to get to the QB wasn't that great, IMO. If he's back to his pre-injury form then he'll boost the defense.

I don't necessarily think Chilo Richal was a bad pick but I can't help but wonder if there was a chance for us to take him or Groves and then trade back up into the 2nd to grab the other. Or take a different OLB in one of the later rounds. Our FO is banking on the additions on the DLine freeing up the LBs, but that wasn't a gamble I would have made